Noble Leaf make whole loose leaf teas, glass tea infusers, flasks and tea kits and are on a mission to build a conscious business that helps humanity return to wholeness through the world’s finest tea leaves.
They pride themselves on their mindful approach, not only in how they source the tea and packaging (you won’t find any plastic there) but also in how they work.
Here's a behind the biz interview -with Gen Rule from Noble Leaf: The Mindful Tea Company.
What is ‘wellness’ to you?
Wellness is a way of life. How we think, eat, live. We are passionate about living the best life we can and we feel the best way by having a calm mind and active life. What we consume and how we consume it is also important. We believe in purchasing from ethical brands who offer sustainable products to help nurture us both inside and out.
What is your inspiration behind Noble Leaf?
Noble Leaf was founded by 3 friends who all lived, like most of us, very hectic lives and work was becoming all too consuming. Jonathan took a year out and travelled the world on a journey of self-discovery and Chris joined him in India and there they uncovered a completely different offering of tea and were enchanted by the more relaxed way of life in Darjeeling. Chris returned home and worked with co-founder Gen to build a tea business with Mindfulness at the heart and on Jonathan’s return the company was founded.
Why is Noble Leaf a unique tea company?
We believe it is four main things that makes us different from other tea brands:
Mindful Business: We are building a conscious, independent business that approaches all decisions mindfully. From how we source and package our tea to how we operate as a company. We want to make a difference.
Source Direct: We not only know the farmers who grow our tea, we actually visit their farms and tea estates. This ensures the quality of our tea is exceptionally high as well as the standards within the farms.
Environmentally Friendly: From the very beginning, our environmental impact has been important to us. We work closely with our tea growers to ensure they use sustainable practices and we use both compostable and locally sourced cardboard packaging.
Tea + Mindfulness: Experiencing the present moment and taking time out from the stresses of everyday is paramount for our health. Combining mindfulness with a simple task like having a cup of tea helps promote positive daily rituals.
What are your customer's favourite flavours?
Our most popular teas are our white tea – Awaken and also our green tea – Clarity. A lot of our customers are surprised at how smooth our green tea is and also it isn’t bitter – this is down to the experts at the tea gardens who handpick and then roll the leaves. Our white tea is very popular, both as a hot drink and also a cold brew as well as other customers using it to make kombucha.
Which flavours would you suggest customers try depending on how they feel?
As we move towards Autumn and Winter, having some of our Embrace – Masala tea is a great idea. It is a blend of both green and black tea, to increase the amount of antioxidants in the tea and it also has some deliciously warming spices, including black pepper, ginger and cinnamon, the perfect cuppa when you are feeling a little under the weather or just looking for that cosy hug in a mug feeling. As it is a traditional Chai, you can make it with just hot water or warm milk and sweetened with honey to taste if desired.
Why is the Tea meditation a great habit to try?
Any ritual which can allow you a few moments to relax and calm the mind is a good habit to adopt. Mindfulness is proven to have so many benefits, but we often find that people are not sure where to start. By combining mindfulness with something we do every day, like having a cup of tea, helps us remember to do it and also makes it easier to maintain.
There are many different ways to enjoy a tea meditation and a traditional tea meditation from the East is a beautiful. There is no right or wrong way, just taking time out to make and enjoy your tea can be enough.
Focus on the look and smell of the leaves as you place them into your cup or pot. Watch as they unfurl as the hot water comes into contact with the leaves and notice as the colour changes as the leaves steep. When you have removed your leaves, enjoy the aroma of the cup and open your senses as you taste every drop of tea.
What workouts do you love doing?
Personally I enjoy yoga, particularly yin yang flow yoga which I try and do a couple of times a week, I also go to a Dance Fit class and also jog/run and plenty of walking as well as daily meditations. When I practice yoga I enjoy some calm, relaxing music to help me get into relax state of mind and focus on my poses. When running or during my Dance Fit class then upbeat and fast paced to try to stop me flagging.
Where are your fave places to workout or ideal wellness location?
I do love a relaxing retreat and am equally happy in a sun-kissed location with beautiful sea views as I am in a warm, well-lit yoga studio on a cold winter’s day.
What tips do you have for a successful mindset when it comes to health?
A calm mind can help anything seem more achievable. Just being able to take a few minutes out and go for a mindful walk or a few deep breathes at your desk can do wonders to your health and positive mindset.
Who are your inspirations or ambassadors you would love to work with?
There are so many great ambassadors out there and anyone who has real passion for their cause is an inspiration. We would love to work with someone like Ella Mills or Jasmine Hemsley as they are such inspirations not only to improving health through food but in the way, they live their lives.
What are you most proud about in terms of your brand?
We have had a great start, we’ve only been a business for just over a year and recently received a prestigious Great Taste Award for our Black Assam Tea – Empower. We have also been selected as one of the 100 small businesses of 2019 for Small Business Saturday.
We have lots of exciting new plans in the pipeline – we are just launching our first small range of herbal teas, all of which are grown on a lovely UK farm, they are so passionate and dedicated to growing the very best quality of herbs.
We have also newly launched a new travel flask – the first in the UK which allows you to keep the tea leaves and the hot water separate until you are ready to drink your tea – allowing you to make fresh tea on the go. We are also working on our mindfulness content and have some exciting plans for the New Year.
Want to know more?......
Shop Noble Leaf's superior whole leaf Tea & Teaware with a mindful intention.
